Safety signaling



H. N. C. CHRISTIE.

SAFETY SIGNALING APPLIANCE APPLICATION FILED AU G.I6| 1911.

II Elf/ 429, I Patented Sept. 30, 1919.

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Illlll I "II 2' IE", 1s I 3| Ea l9 '33 El 9 as q E as I L 3 25 H. N. C. CHRISTIE.

SAFETY SIGNALING APPLIANCE. APPLICATION FILED AUG-16,

' Patented Sept. 30,1919.

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- TED STATES SAFETY SIGNALING APPLIANCE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 3(1 1919.

Application filed August 16, 1917. Serial No. 186,442.

tain new and useful Improvements in Safety Signaling Appliances; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which I it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to safety signal appliances and more particularly to one designed for use in connection with motor vehicles.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a signal appliance adapted to be arranged at the rear of the motor vehicle, suitable operating means being positioned within reach of the driver whereby any one of the plurality of signaling arms of the device may be quickly and readily actuated to indicate the direction of travel or the intention of the driver.

Another object of the invention is to provide the device with a plurality of signaling arms that are designed to respectively indicate right, left, back and stop, each signaling arm being provided with individual actuating means and are each adapted to be connected in circuit with illuminating means and audible signaling means, the rear end of each signaling arm being provided with a translucent member, preferably red so that when the signaling arm is moved to a signaling position the illuminating means will shine through the translucent member to indicate a danger or stop position, the audible signaling means being sounded at the same time so as to attract attention to the signaling arm and the red light.

Another object of theinvention is to provide a switch whereby the illuminating light may be cut out of circuit in. the day time.

A further object of the invention is to provide electrical means adapted to be actuated once in moving the signaling arm from a non signaling to a signaling position and subsequently actuated again to move the signaling arm to a non signaling position.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a similar safety signaling appliance adapted to be positioned upon the front of the motor vehicle and actuated by suitable means placed within easy reach of the driver.

With these and other objects in view, as will. appear as the description proceeds, the lnvention comprises the various novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be more fully described hereinafter and set forth with particularity in the appended claim.

' Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through one form of my safety signaling appliance designed for use on the rear of a motor vehicle.

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view of the electric circuit in which the audible signaling means and the illuminating means are arranged.

Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view through another form of my safety signaling appliance and which is designed for use on the front of a motor vehicle, and

Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken on the line 44 of Fig. 3.

Similar characters of reference are used to denote corresponding parts throughout the accompanying drawings and the following description. I

Referring more particularly to the drawmgs, and especially to Fig. 1, it will be seen that I have shown a single signaling arm and its respective actuating means, but it is of course to be understood that any desirednumber of signaling arms and individual actuating means may be employed, preferably four are to be employed to indicate right, left, back and stop, respectively. Inasmuch as all the signal arms and their respective actuating means are identical, it is thought that a showing and description of a single signaling arm and its respective actuatingmeans will sufiice fora clear understanding of the invention.

The reference numeral 1 indicates the housing in which the device is arranged and it is provided in its upper portion with an opening 2 in one of its vertical walls through which the signaling arms are adapted to swing. The housing 1 is also provided in its upper portion and opposite the opening 2 with a compartment 3 in which is arranged audible signaling means, such as an electric bell i which is secured to the vertical wall 5 direction of travel of the motor vehicle, and

an enlarged inner end portion 11 which carries a translucent member 12, which is preferably in the form of red glass.

Suitable illuminating means 13, such as an electric lamp is mounted within the housing and is positioned in horizontal alinement with the supporting shaft 7 so that when the signaling arm is rotated upon the shaft to a signaling position, the translucent member 12 will be positioned in front of the illuminating means. The end wall 8 of the housing opposite to that sup-porting the illuminating means 13 is provided with a sight opening through which the light may be viewed from the rear of the vehicle. A reflector 14 is positioned behind the illuminating means 13 so that the rays of light may be reflected with greater intensity.

Arranged within the lower part of. the housing 1 is a large gear wheel 15 which is rotatably mounted in a suitable supporting bracket 16. This gear wheel 15' meshes withaspur gear 17 on the armature shaft 18 of a motor 19. When the motor is energized it will revolve the gear wheel 15 and this rotary movement of the gear wheel 15 will cause thesignaling arm 9 to swing on the shaft 7 through the medium of the pitman rod 20 that is pivotally connected at one end to the gear wheel 15 and at the other end to I the signaling arm 9 between the shaft 7 and the translucent member 12.

The gear wheel 15 carrie a pair of seg mental contact plates 21, the ends of which are separated and insulated from each other by insulating blocks 22.

Mounted onthe bottom 23 of the housing is a pair of brushes 24 that are adapted to normally bear against one of the insulating blocks 22. One of these brushes 24 is connected by a wire 25 to a binding 0st 26 carried by the housing 1, the wire 2 extending from the binding post 26 to one of the posts 28 of the motor 19. A wire 29 has one end connected to the other post 28 of the motor and the other end connected to a binding post 30 carried by the housing and arranged adjacent the binding post 26. A wire 31 connects the binding post 30 with a battery 32, the latter beingconnected by a wire 33 to the remaining brush 24 which completes the circuit from the battery 32 through the mo- The binding post 26 is connected to a con tact plate 34 by a wire 35, and this contact plate 34 is adapted to be engaged by aswitch lever .36-pivotally mounted as at 37 and has its pivotal point connected to the battery by a wire 38. The wires 27 and 35, contact plate 34, switch lever 36, Wire 38, battery 32, wire 31, and wire 29, form what I will term as the primary circuit of the actuating means through the motor.

In the operation of 'the signaling arm actuating means, the switch lever 36 is moved once across the contact plate 34 to the dotted line position shown. During the time that the switch lever is being moved across the contact plate 34 the primary circuit will be completed from the battery 32, through wire 31, binding 0st 30, wire 29, binding posts 28, Wire 27, binding post 26 and wire 35 .to contactplate 34, through the switch lever and back to the battery 32 through the wire 38. The closing of this primary circuit will give the motor an initial start and consequently cause the large gear wheel'15 to rotate far enough until the adjacent segmental contact plate 21 has movedbeneath the pair of brushes 24 so as to bridge the circuit there between. By thetime that the adjacent segmental contact plate has moved beneath the brushes 24 the switch 36 will have disengaged from the contact plate 34.

Since the primary circuit has been broken and the secondary circuit completed, the current will flow from the battery 32 through the wire 31, wire 29, binding posts 28, wires 27 and 25, brushes 24 and the adjacent segmental plate 21, and back to the battery 32 through the wire 33. This secondary circuit will remain closed until the motor has revolved the large gear wheel 15 until the a non signaling position, the switch lever 36 is again moved back over the contact plate 34 to its original position which will again rotate the large gear wheel 15 a half revolution.

The upper end of the signaling arm 9 is adapted to normally rest between a pair of spring arms or keepers 39 that are secured to the vertical wall 5 of the compartment 3 and serve to prevent the paddles from casually falling down into a signaling or display position.

Mounted on the housing 1 is a pair of spring contact arms 40 that are insulated from each other, and as clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings one of these contact arms is connected to the electric bell 4 through the medium of a wire 41, while the other contact arm is connected to a switch lever 42 through the medium of a wire 43 in which is arranged a battery 44. It is to be understood that the wire 43 may be connected to this battery 4401- it may be connected to battery 32 in lieu thereof if found desirable. The switch lever 42 is adapted to cooperate with contacts 44 and 45, the lamp 13 being connected in circuit between these contacts, and'by moving the switch lever 42 into engagement with the contact 45, the lamp may be cut out of circuit, as is desirable in the day time. The contact 45 is in turn connected to the bell 34 by a wire 46, thus completing the bell and light circuit to the spring contact arms 40. When the signalin arm 9 is swung downwardly to a signa ing position, it is engaged between the spring arms 40, thus bridging the circuit between these arms and completing the circuit through the light and bell simulv taneously.

In Figs. 3 and 4 of-the drawings will be seen a slightly different form of the device which is designed for use on the front of the motor vehicle. The only difference between the two forms in the device being in the signaling arms, otherwise the construction and the actuating. mechanisms are identical. In this form of the device, the housing 1 is provided in its front wallwith a transparent panel or member 47 through which the signaling arms may be viewed.

The signaling arms used in this .form are 7 preferably four in number and are used to indicate the directions of travel and when it is desired to stop the vehicle, namely right, left, back and stop. Each of these slgnaling arms consists of a pair of supporting arms 48 that have their lower ends 1ournaled on the shaft 7, while the upper ends are connected to 'a horizontally disposed signaling arm 49 ;=and upon which isadapted to be ositioned suitable printed matter, such as ight',Left, Back or Stop. Certain of the arms 48 are provided with; a counterbalancing weight 50 which serves to normally maintain the signalingarms in. a vertical disposed position against casual falling of the signalin arms.

is clearly shown in Fig. 3, each of the sig- 'naling arms is provided with individual actuating means, namely the electric motor 19,

. ing arm, in this instance, like in the former device is connected to a large gear wheel 15 by a pitman rod 51 and which is pivotally connected to the arm 48' through the medium of the angularly projecting arm 52 of the arm 48.

The illuminating means, in this instance is arranged on the rear wall 53 of the housing and in horizontal alinement with the transparent member 47 so that when the signaling arms are swung downwardly to a signaling position, they can be clearly and readily viewedv from the front of the vehicle. If desirable the arm 49 of each signaling arm can be constructed in stencil like form by cutting the letters through it so that when the arm is swung downwardly into signaling position, the light will shine through the openings formed by the letters.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the advantages of construction and the method of operation will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention relates, and while I have described the principle of operation of the invention together with the device which I now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that such changes in arrangement and construction of -parts may be made when desired as are I said wheel, a pair of contacts to bear against sald' segments and lnsulatlon, a source of electrical energ an electrical circuit including said motor, source of electrical energy and contacts to be closed by said segments when they bridge said contacts, and a shunt for said circuit including a manually-operable switch to close the circuit parallel with said contacts.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of .two subscribing witnesses.

HAROLD N. C. CHRISTIE.

Witnesses:

FRANKS. IMLAY, J. C. Cim'rrs, Jr. 

